Knitting nights. Pickleball. Cocktails. Movie theaters aren't just for movies anymore

Knitting nights. Cocktails. Pickleball.

Those are some of the solutions Bob Bagby and his family-owned and operated theater chain, B&B Theatres, have come up with to bring audiences back to the movies.

B&B is the fifth-largest cinema chain in the country, and Bagby is executive board chairman of Cinema United — formerly known as the National Association of Theater Owners. The group gathered this week in Las Vegas for their annual convention, CinemaCon – where industry leaders shared best practices and studios shared their upcoming film slates.

Bagby says movie theaters were hit hard in recent years, through the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood strikes and changes in the entertainment industry.

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"Some needed to close. They were rundown buildings," he says. But other theaters have poured money into upgrades, making movie theater spaces into larger entertainment centers and experimenting with events and programming.

Bagby says his theaters have also gotten creative about programming in their spaces. "In some of our smaller towns, we're doing things like bingo, we're doing mixology classes."

The theaters have trivia nights tied to upcoming movies. They even have knitting classes.

"You know what? Come in and knit while you watch movies. We do all those things," he says.

Some cinemas also offer live concerts, standup comedy, seminars and panel discussions, even church services. Customers can now go to the movies, "and go to a sky park with trampolines in the same building with a restaurant. Or go to a movie and go bowling," says Chris Dammann, executive vice president of the Entertainment Food and Beverage Association.

On the trade floor at CinemaCon, alongside the latest theater trends like energy-efficient popcorn machines, zero-gravity recliners and robot vacuum cleaners, representatives for several bowling and billiards companies pitched their products to theater owners.

Casey Cline of the cocktail company Bartesian shows off the latest cocktail makers at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United.

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Alberto E. Rodriguez

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Getty Images for CinemaCon

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Schulman Theatres has been operating since 1926. It has seven locations in Texas and soon will expand to Arkansas. The chain offers multiple entertainment centers under one roof, including bowling, karaoke, standup comedy and of course, movies.

"COVID kind of forced us to look at different ways to utilize our auditoriums," says vice president Jacob Schulman. "We do birthdays, we do banquets, we have special events that are focused around the films." Beyond special events, the chain has experimented with what it plays on the big screen, including sporting events like March Madness and the Super Bowl.

A new generation of indie theaters 

Smaller independent cinemas are taking advantage of the moment.

"If anything, COVID taught us we can't have all our eggs in the same basket," says Colleen Barstow, who owns ACX Cinemas, which is based in Nebraska with theaters in four other states.

"I think being an independent, you're able to pivot a lot faster than any of the large chains."

Some people are just getting into the exhibitor business. Former IndieWire film critic and editor Eric Kohn is now the artistic director of the historic Southampton Playhouse in Southampton, New York. "We had vaudeville acts performing in our theaters back in the day," he says. "Later, they would roll an old radio into the theater about 45 minutes before showtime, so people would come and listen."

The playhouse is now modernized with a brand new IMAX screen as well as a 35-millimeter projector for repertory screenings.

"We opened with a series of films from 1932, pre-Code Hollywood, and that was very popular, in tandem with Captain America: Brave New World showing on our IMAX," says the 39-year-old. "We've got video game movies showing in the run up to A Minecraft Movie. So my sensibilities are eclectic."

The marquee at Southampton Playhouse in Southampton, New York.

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Jessica Dalene Weber

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Doreen Sayegh followed her movie theater owner father into the business. She renovated a nearly 100-year old theater in Cranford, New Jersey. During the pandemic, she sold popcorn to-go and hosted outdoor movies. These days, she hosts pajama parties and special movie events.

"Even in times of recession [and] depression, movie theaters always did well," she explains. Even today, she says, "it is still one of the most economical things that you can do with your family."

In Greenpoint, Brooklyn, film producer Emelyn Stuart turned an old warehouse into a cinema with empanadas and coquito. She says during the pandemic, the theater was allowed to stay open because it became essential.

"I used a theater for people to watch their loved ones being buried around the country. We gave away our food at four o'clock every day, And we would give out laptops for people to apply for unemployment."

The theater hosts quinceañeras and wedding proposals. It's even been a voting site. She says Stuart Cinema & Cafe has become a community center.

"Even with all of the struggles and issues that we've had, I'm serving the community," Stuart says. "It's not even about the movies at the end of the day."

She and others at CinemaCon say movie theaters are not dying, they're just changing reels.
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